Moms, dads, kids and grandparents will all have something to do on May 17 when Arbutus hosts its 42nd annual arts festival, organizers say.
With inflatable obstacle courses, handmade jewelry, face painting and numerous food stands along East Drive from Save-a-Lot parking lot to the intersection at Sulphur Spring Road, the downtown Arbutus retail district will be brimming with family-friendly activities.
But the real attraction for many festival attendees may be the car show, now entering its third year as part of the festival.
"The guys really like it," said Sue Miller, chairman of the arts festival committee for the Arbutus Business and Professional Association which presents the annual event . "Everybody has a really good time, and it's free."
When the festival first included a car show in 2013, many festival-goers were a little surprised to see classic cars near stands offered hand-crafted artwork, Miller said.
But now, people have come to expect it.
"[The festival] is definitely a family environment and everybody can do their own thing," she said.
The car show got its start when Richard Greene and Pete Packer decided to add their own unique touch to the arts festival in 2013. Many women liked to look at the crafts, they noticed, and kids liked the play area. But there seemed to be a missing festival feature that was geared more to male visitors.
With both men avid car enthusiasts — Greene owns Arbutus Auto Body on Leeds Avenue and Packer is an auto insurance representative — they thought offering a car show during the day, which begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., might attract those who attend the festival with their families and may not be as interested in arts and crafts.
"Originally, we talked about adding the car show in there just to give the guys something to do," Greene said.
The first year the show was held, there were about 15 vehicles on display. Last year, that number grew to about 30 cars.
This year, Packer and Greene are hoping for more participants than ever. The pair spread the word about the show all year long at car shows and other gatherings of car enthusiasts around the region. This year, Greene said, he knows of a couple car clubs that plan on visiting and participating in the show.
Also, Packer added, "we posted ads online on most of the [car enthusiast] websites."
The Arbutus show also must contend with the Cruisin' Ocean City Car Show, which runs from May 15 to 18. The Ocean City event has become so crowded though, Packer said, that Arbutus may be a more agreeable alternative for those looking to check out some vintage cars without having to commit an entire day to the process.
When it comes to car shows though, Packard said, everything comes down to the weather.
"Anybody who spends $50,000 to $100,000 on their cars aren't going to bring them out in the rain" he said.
The show accepts any vehicles that meet the state standards for classic tags, which means they must be at least 20 years old. Awards, which are sponsored by local businesses, will also be handed out to the 21 cars sponsors determine to be the most impressive.
"It's purely a free, fun time," Packer said.
From the very start, the show has been free both for spectators and for car owners. Never a fan of having to pay a registration fee every time he wanted to show his car, Packard said he wanted to create a show that was both laid back and inviting to people all of levels of car knowledge.
Over time, both men said, the show has proven to be a good fit for the arts festival.
"Everybody's very impressed with it," Greene said. "You get a lot of spectators from the festival itself."
"It's art," Packer said. "All different arts and crafts are built into what the guys do to their vehicles."
The key to the successful integration of a car show into an arts fair, Packard said, is the people.
"People with cars are family-oriented," he said. "It's something that the family can do together and that's what the arts festival is all about."
In previous years, Packard said, he has met people who traveled from the Eastern Shore or Western Maryland for the car show who had never before known about the Arbutus Arts Festival.
Miller, chairman of the festival, said the car show has grown to become a major part of the event. The show will take place in the area surrounding the Hollywood Cinema on Oregon Avenue.
Other highlights this year include:
• a kids zone with different activities for different age groups,
• a performance by the Halethorpe-based band Major Company in the beer garden
• Mason-run identification services that will offer festival goers the chance to obtain a CD for free that lists all their identification information to provide police in case of a possible theft.